‘Jameed and Ghee Festival’ supports badia communities, facilitates buying ‘trustworthy’ dairy products

AMMAN — “Jameed and Ghee Festival”, held on Friday, was more of a mix of preserving culture and enhancing sustainable development rather than merely showcasing foodstuff, according to visitors.

Jameed is a fat-free and rock-hard balls of salted yoghurt used as the main ingredient of mansaf, Jordan’s national dish.

On Friday, the Hashemite Fund for the Development of the Jordan badia (HFDJB), under the patronage of President Sharifa Zein Bint Nasser, held the fourth iteration of the festival, which aimed to promote products of charitable and cooperative societies specialised in making dairy products.

Some 32 societies from southern, central and northern badia regions took part in the one-day event, showcasing their dairy and other traditional bedouin food products at the King Hussein Park in Amman, Shehadeh Abu Hdeib, vice president of the HFDJB said during the opening ceremony.

Fawzi Haddad, a resident of Amman, said that the event is important and productive as it helps people from “remote” areas widen their base of customers, thus enhancing the sustainability of their enterprises and improving their economic conditions.

“I saw it on TV and I rushed to the location to enjoy the traditional bedouin atmosphere and buy some original dairy products,” he told The Jordan Times.

Participating for the third time, Jamila Al Jazi, from the Southern Badia, said that her society used to face difficulties marketing its products. “HFDJB has helped our society improve the quality of its products and packaging.”

“Through the festival we have increased the number of clients, including consumers and traders, who buy from us at the society or by delivery,” Jazi added.

For Jafnah Society, their first participation was a “great” chance to exhibit their products outside the Northern Badia region for the first time.

Samia Al Jbour, from the Central Badia, said that the HFDJB has helped her society participate in many other events, which enabled the society to reach a larger number of costumers.

Jbour’s pavilion was distinguished for showcasing, beside foodstuff, the “first camel-milk soap”.

“We were the first to manufacture the soap. We have trained many local women on making it and other products, which enabled them to find jobs and support their families,” she added.

Wafaa Abu Rassaa, a loyal yearly visitor, said that she waits for the festival every year to buy dairy products that are “trustworthy, clean, and tasty”.

The festival brings to Ammanis “trustworthy” and fresh products made by local women that live in regions far from the capital, she added.

HFDJB said that all of the showcased food products had passed laboratory tests for safety and ingredient authenticity. 

In addition to the foodstuff exhibition, the festival included live cooking of traditional bedouin meals such as traditional bread shrak (thin pan bread), rashouf (a broth made of jameed and lentils), and lazagyat (sugar-coated bread).

It included music performances using rababah (the bedouin single-string violin) and henna arts, all done inside a traditional bedouin tent.